Beginning November 20, 2023, blue bags that are improperly sorted will be rejected at the curb.
Curbside Rejection of Blue Bags to Begin November 20th
Friday, November 10th, 2023 - Yarmouth, N.S. – Beginning November 20, 2023, blue bags that are improperly sorted will be rejected at the curb. The current two-bag recycling system has been in effect in the Municipalities of Yarmouth and Argyle, and the Town of Yarmouth since 2007. Waste Check has not enforced two-bag recycling to date but will start doing so on November 20th.
The two-bag system for recycling involves placing paper products in one blue bag and the remaining recyclables in a second blue bag. Scotia Recycling, the company that processes the blue bags in our area, has noticed an increasing amount of improperly sorted recycling.
“Waste Check has always been extremely proud of the time and effort that our residents put into recycling correctly! However, recent audits of our blue bag material show that we need to do better at keeping our paper separate from our other recyclables”, said Gus Green, General Manager of Waste Check.
Scotia Recycling has recently upgraded its processing facility and a lot of the equipment is automated. The paper mixed with the other recyclables interferes with the process. This contamination of paper products can result in rejection at the sorting facility, meaning that they become not recyclable and end up in the landfill.
“The quality of any recycling process is set by the quality of materials coming in. Clean, and well-sorted bags give us our best opportunity to divert as much material as possible from landfill”, said Eric Goyette, Facility Manager, Scotia Recycling Kentville MRF.
The importance of recycling our paper products correctly cannot be understated, as it allows for the creation of new paper items. This reduces both waste and the carbon footprint left during the manufacturing of paper products.
Starting November 20th, if a blue bag is improperly sorted, a sticker indicating the specific problem will be placed on the bag and it will not be collected that week. In this case, residents are required to remove the rejected bag(s) from curbside, re-sort their recycling and place it for curbside collection on their next scheduled pick up.
For more information and to view the full sorting guide, please visit Waste Separation Guide.
Remember to Recycle Right. It matters!